Even the most delicious cuisine is enhanced by presentation. Think of it as a backdrop, a stage set that brings your feast to life. What I bring to the party is everything but the food itself. I’ve always been fascinated by how food is presented on tables and settings of all types. In this new weekly column, I’ll be sharing my favorite design snippets and scenarios, based on my adventures as a Food Network designer and an avid connoisseur of style and design. So feel free to indulge here, but with your eyes only.

Think of these as essential presentation elements. The collectible trivet, from the most basic to the highly embellished, protects your counter and table surfaces from heat damage.

Since today is Labor Day and the unofficial end of grilling season, it’s likely that platters of ribs, hot dogs or burgers will find their way to your picnic table. So how do you maintain a meatless meal when friends and family around you are indulging in meaty main dishes? There are indeed ways to keep your Labor Day menu flavorful, hearty and deliciously meat-free that don’t include eating around the chunks of chicken in the pasta salad or nibbling on fruit and carrot sticks all afternoon.

If you’re attending a backyard bash and the host has requested you bring a dish to share, reach for your favorite meatless one. The Pioneer Woman’s Baked Creamed Corn With Red Bell Peppers and Jalapenos (pictured above) is a five-star recipe from Food Network Magazine that feeds a crowd and can be made with just a handful of ingredients. This potluck-friendly classic is loaded with vegetables and pairs well with traditional cookout fare and meatless items alike.

This summer, Food Network’s Grilling Central is packed with recipes for the entire family’s taste buds, boasting the best in burgers, dogs, chicken and more all season long. But with so many recipes, where do you start? Each Saturday, FN Dish is giving you a complete menu that is stress-free, and this weekend’s spread is guaranteed to feed a crowd.

If this Labor Day weekend suddenly finds you cooking for a houseful of guests, fear not. We have everything you need to pull off an effortless, enjoyable backyard bash that’s brimming with top-notch dishes. Best of all, our no-fail recipes are a cinch to make, so you can be sure that you, the host, will have as much fun at your party as your guests.

Perhaps the most important part of any summertime soiree is the cocktails, and when it comes to entertaining a crowd, simplicity is key. Now isn’t the time to show off your mixology skills with made-to-order specialty drinks. Instead reach for big-batch cocktails that lend themselves to easy pouring, like Food Network Magazine‘s Red Sangria or Bobby’s White Peach Cocktail. If your guest list includes kids, prepare a pitcher of alcohol-free Mint Limeade, so that they can enjoy frosty glasses, too. Check out Food Network’s roundup of Pitcher-Friendly Drinks for more simple drink ideas.

With Labor Day just around the corner, it’s evident that we need to talk about cocktails. This is summer’s last hurrah! It’s your last three-day weekend for a while, so enjoy every last sip of it.

Try my take on Marcella’s Rosemary-Infused Lemonade to get the party started. This cocktail would make the perfect addition to your party, whether it’s a huge pool party with all of your friends or a casual late-afternoon barbecue on the back patio. Either way, this lemonade makes perfect sense.

So go ahead — whip up a batch or two and have a ball with your closest local pals before school goes back into full gear and fall sets in.

Though the unofficial end of summer is just around the corner, there’s still time for one last outdoor party. Make the most of your Labor Day weekend by hosting a backyard cookout for friends or simply barbecuing with family before the kids head back to school and the rush of weeknight activities begins. We’ve rounded up Food Network’s top five Labor Day recipes to help you celebrate the best flavors and ingredients of the season and pull off an easy, enjoyable holiday get-together.

Around this time of year, we start pining for the holiday season again — the chill in the air, the hum of the holidays and above all else, the delicious treats. To help combat the pining, we’ve started pinning and we’re inviting you to pin along with us. This year, Food Network fans will select one of the featured cookies in our 12 Days of Cookies celebration.

To participate: Log onto Pinterest and visit Food Network’s Let’s Vote: Holiday Cookies board. To cast your vote, simply re-pin the cookie you like best to one of your personal boards. Voting will close on July 31, at which point we’ll tally the re-pins. The cookie with the highest re-pin count on the Let’s Vote: Holiday Cookies board will be crowned the winner.

Get your glass of milk ready and get your holiday cookie game faces on — pin away!

Is there really anything better in life than a rack of slowly cooked ribs that are doused with a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce? I don’t think so. Whether you celebrate the Fourth of July tomorrow or this coming weekend with family and friends, it’s time to start thinking of great grilling recipes.

These Sweet Cola Ribs from the Neelys’ are the perfect addition to your Fourth of July celebration. They cook nice and slow over your grill so they become smoky and tender, then you add the sweet cola sauce and it’s a match made in heaven. You can use any kind of dark cola for this recipe, but I think my favorite has to be Dr. Pepper.

This year I’m hosting my own Fourth of July party and you can bet that there will be multiple Sweet Cola Ribs on my grill throughout the day. Be sure to whip up extra of the barbecue sauce; you might even want to double the recipe because it’s great on all sorts of other fun Fourth of July sides like corn on the cob and potato salad. Plus, you can throw some on the side for your guests to dip their ribs into while they eat.

This Fourth of July, whether you’re throwing a backyard barbecue, hosting a neighborhood get-together or simply watching fireworks with family, celebrate all things red, white and blue with a collection of our best Independence Day eats and drinks. Food Network’s menu of party-ready recipes, including juicy grilled pork, succulent fried chicken, patriotic cake and more, will help you prepare a star-filled spread in no time. Check out Food Network’s top Fourth of July recipes below, then tell us what your favorite all-American dishes are.

This summer, Food Network’s Grilling Central is packed with recipes for the entire family’s taste buds, boasting the best in burgers, dogs, chicken and more all season long. But with so many recipes, where do you start? Each Friday, FN Dish is giving you a complete menu that is stress-free, and this weekend’s spread is fit for an Independence Day celebration.

The Fourth of July falls right in the middle of the week this year and while you may not be able to party like it’s 1776 on a Wednesday, you can surely do so this weekend. Food Network Magazine’s Philly Dogs (pictured above) are inspired by the City of Brotherly Love’s famous cheese steak, and they take just 10 minutes to put together. Nestle a grilled, snappy hot dog on a chewy hoagie roll and add sweet peppers and onions and a drizzle of cheese sauce to create a backyard version of the Philadelphia classic.

We often refer to Pat LaFrieda, Jr. as the “Magician of Meat,” but we seem to forget that Pat LaFrieda, Jr. comes from a meat empire — a family-run meat empire. Pat Jr. runs a third-generation wholesale meat purveyor business in New Jersey with his dad, Pat Sr., and while we see the dynamic duo take viewers on a high-”steaks” ride with a side of humor on Meat Men, we wanted to know just how much the two agreed on meat.

We asked father and son the same questions to see how different (or similar) their answers would be, including who’s the better grill master in the family.

If you had to choose between having beef, pork, veal or chicken as your last meal what would you pick?
Pat Jr.: Boneless loin lamb chops
Pat Sr.: Shake ‘N Bake pork chops with applesauce (laughing out loud) — because they’re good.

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